EXCLUSIVE: X Factor icon Emma Chawner has blasted the idea of a comeback for The X Factor, almost 20 years after she filmed her first unsuccessful audition for the programme
X Factor icon Emma Chawner has blasted the idea of a comeback of the show. The former TV star, 35, found fame in her late teens when she unsuccessfully auditioned for the singing competition’s fourth series.
In her memorable audition piece, Emma wore an outfit that had been made by her father that Simon Cowell likened to a “wedding dress,” and after struggling to make it through more than a couple of verses of the Celine Dion classic My Heart Will Go On, she failed to make it through to the next round.
Things took a dramatic turn when Simon, along with the other judges Dannii Minogue, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, were confronted by Emma’s parents and her sister Samantha, furious that she had not passed the audition. Emma later appeared with the other “worst auditionees” in the show’s final, in which four bodybuilders carried her on stage on a throne, and then tried out for the show twice more.
Before it ended in 2018, The X Factor found stars such as Alexandra Burke, One Direction, and Olly Murs amongst a host of others, but Emma, who also auditioned for the show with her sister, has lambasted the idea of a revival of the show, just days after it was reported that it would be back on screen soon.
She said: “I don’t think it should come back, no. I think they should put more game shows on than talent shows. I stopped watching The X Factor years and years ago when it was still on TV because I felt sorry for the people who auditioned and they can’t sing, and they were being laughed at.
“I don’t think it’s right. If that’s what they’re going to do again, bringing it back and getting people to audition who can’t sing, it’s not fair on them.”
Asked if she felt she was set up by the show’s producers, Emma said: “Yeah. I can sing, not great, but I can sing. I mean people who, for example, audition and they’re not that great, but they think they are, and then the producers think, ‘Right, yeah, we’ll put these through because of entertainment purposes’, but it might not be the right thing to do. They need to put singers that can actually sing, not just do it for entertainment purposes.”
Following her initial rise to fame, Emma and her family took part in a reality weight loss show fronted by Lorraine Kelly and even though she would “never do TV again”, the wannabe singer has insisted that there were both “good and bad things” that came from her stint on the show as she gave an update on her most recent weight loss.
Speaking to Smooth Spins Casino, Emma said: “It’s crazy really, because I still get recognised as well. Even though I’ve lost quite a lot of weight recently, I still get recognised. I’m used to it, I don’t even react to anything anymore.
“The thing is, going on The X Factor brought me bad and good things. I did a documentary with losing weight and the help from that has helped me to this day.
“Looking back at when we did the show and all the things that we got told about losing weight and stuff, it did help. I’ve lost weight recently on my own terms, though, not people telling me what to do and stuff like that. “
Just days ago, it was reported that television bosses are keen to revive The X Factor format in an up-to-date way, complete with a panel that will appeal to the younger generation.
A source told The Sun: “Rather than creating more flop formats, they have the opportunity to give The X Factor, a sure-fire hit, a modern makeover.
“They can explore a younger, fresher panel, with new faces and have Cowell behind the scenes. The plan is for the show’s return to take on a new life and be updated to envelop the social media generation.
“ITV has shown with programmes like Love Island, and I’m A Celebrity… that social media is where they can inject massive viewing figures. The X Factor was one of the most iconic shows in TV history and created dozens of stars and household names who are still riding high today.”
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